The College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Delaware invites applications for multiple positions–open rank, but with a special interest in senior scholars–for a major initiative in African American Material Culture Studies and/or African American Public Humanities. Joint appointments or single-department appointments are available among the departments participating in this cluster hire, including the Departments of Africana Studies, Art History, English, and History–with established, rich interdisciplinary collaborations possible among and beyond these interconnected scholarly communities. Successful candidates will have a demonstrable commitment to inclusive excellence and diversity–including a readiness to contribute to ongoing efforts to recruit and retain under-represented students and faculty–and will have a strong record of excellence in scholarship and teaching in African American Material Culture and/or Public Humanities Studies, as well as a commitment to contributing to the development of initiatives in these fields at the University of Delaware.

The University of Delaware is home to several interdisciplinary centers and initiatives that have significant administrative and grant support. Particularly important for the positions we seek to fill are the Center for Material Culture Studies and the African American Public Humanities Initiative (AAPHI), an interdisciplinary graduate study project supported by a major NEH Next Generation grant and Luce Foundation funding. We are home as well to the award-winning Colored Conventions Project, a digital humanities initiative that is recovering the archives and mapping the history of the African American state and national convention movement in the nineteenth century. The Special Collections and Museums of the UD Library offer strong collections in African American art, literature, history and culture shared through exhibitions in the library and museums galleries–including the Paul R. Jones Collection of African American Art–and classes. These collections that are made available to all faculty and students upon request for group or individual study, with a dedicated postdoctoral position established to facilitate these efforts for our African American collections. We are also home to one of the world’s top art conservation programs. Through partnerships with the HBCU Library Alliance and the Alliance for HBCU Museums and Galleries, we are introducing HBCU students to careers in art conservation and allied fields while also working to preserve the rich cultural treasures in HBCU’s libraries, archives, and museums. Our Center for the Study of Diversity provides support and a collaborative community for faculty research, community initiatives, university programming, and administrative planning. Through these initiatives and institutional centers and many others, UD researchers and students have opportunities for local, national, and global collaborations and partnerships. Beyond UD, our faculty have access–supported by well-established institutional ties–to important regional archives, including the Winterthur Museum, Gardens & Libraries, Folger Library, Hagley Museum, The Library Company of Philadelphia, and the Smithsonian Institution, among many others.

The University of Delaware is committed at every level to secure, sustain, and support a diverse community to enrich the experience of our faculty and students and to support and extend our academic mission. We are committed to attracting and retaining employees with varying identities and backgrounds, and we strongly encourage applications from scholars from under-represented groups. UD provides equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. A recipient of an NSF ADVANCE Award for racial and gender equity, UD is responsive to the needs of dual career couples, supports work-life balance through an array of family-friendly policies, and is dedicated to broadening participation in higher education in all areas of university

life. The University of Delaware is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer with inclusive excellence and diversity as core values.

Located in scenic Newark, Delaware, within 2 hours of New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C., the University of Delaware is a state-assisted, privately governed institution that enrolls approximately 17,000 undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students.

Applicants should upload a letter of application, a curriculum vitae, and three letters of recommendation to https://apply.interfolio.com/47136. Application materials should make clear the applicant’s record of excellence in scholarship and teaching as well as the applicant’s commitment to inclusive excellence in professional practice. The review process will begin December 2, but screening will continue until the position is filled. For further information, contact search committee chair Dr. John Ernest at jrernest@udel.edu.

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Author: Camara Dia Holloway

I am an art historian specializing in early twentieth century American art with particular focus on the history of photography, race and representation, and transatlantic modernist networks. I earned my PhD at Yale University in the History of Art Department.
Besides my leadership role as the Founding Co-Director of the Association for Critical Race Art History (ACRAH), I am recognized for my expertise on African American Art, particularly African American Photography, and as a seasoned consultant for exhibitions, museum collections, and symposia/lectures planning.
View all posts by Camara Dia Holloway